June 4, 1997 Vol. 1 - No. 5 ============================== THE ORBITAL REPORT ON-LINE ============================== Space Executive's Weekly News Digest This issue of Takyon International's latest on-line newsletter was published in cooperation with New Space. (www.newspace.com) OReOL covers space industry news, market trends, and provides the necessary background information for immediate analysis. Please feel free to contact us for any comment. === HEADLINES === * LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP., of Bethesda, Maryland, has set up a joint venture with INTERSPUTNIK, of Moscow, Russia, to provide satellite communication services worldwide. INTERSPUTNIK is a 22-country consortium set up in 1965 by the Soviet Union and its allies which owns 15 orbital slots and operates a network of Russian-built GORIZONT and EKSPRESS satellites. Dubbed LOCKHEED MARTIN INTERSPUTNIK (LMI), the new entity will be based in London, Great-Britain. LOCKHEED MARTIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS (LMT), of Sunnyvale, California, will build four satellites for LMI to be launched in late 1998 (on a Proton vehicle), 1999 and two in 2000. Expected yearly revenues could reach US$300 to 500 million in 2000. A previous deal negotiated with AEROSPATIALE, of Paris, France, did not emerge as the French manu- facturer could not invest cash in the venture. * An ARIANE 44L vehicle successfully lofted two satellites to geo- stationary transfer orbit from Kourou, French Guiana, at 23:20 UT, on June 3. The payload for this ARIANESPACE's V97 flight was composed of the 1,999-kg INMARSAT 3-F4 mobile communication satellite (30GHz in L-band), built by LOCKHEED MARTIN TELECOMMUNICATIONS (LMT), for INMARSAT, of London, Great Britain, and the 2,079-kg INSAT 2D communication satellite (18C, 3Ku, 1S) for the INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (ISRO). === BUSINESS === * SPAR AEROSPACE LTD, of Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, was awarded a C$3.2-million contract by AEROSPATIALE SATELLITES, of Cannes, France, for the procurement of two C-band and three Ku-band antennas for the THAICOM 4 satellite to be built by AEROSPATIALE for SHINAWATRA SATELLITE PLC, of Thailand. * PRIMEX AEROSPACE, of Redmond, Washington, was awarded a US$1.5-mil- lion extension on an existing contract with LOCKHEED MARTIN MISSILES & SPACE, of Sunnyvale, California, to provide sets of electrothermal hydrazine thrusters for 8 more IRIDIUM satellites. PRIMEX is already delivering 80 sets of thrusters under a US$15-million contract. ********************************************************************* * As part of the New Space Journal, two interactive columns are now * * being published. "Minimum Cost Design" by Arthur Schnitt focuses * * on the MCD criteria and its application to space launch vehicles. * * "Reality Check" by Rick Fleeter takes a critical look at current * * space industry issues and concepts from the perspective of a * * seasoned veteran. You can view these columns on the web: * * * * www.newspace.com/schnitt -or- www.newspace.com/fleeter * ********************************************************************* === MARKETS === * SPOT IMAGE, of Toulouse, France, has now full control on the pro- gramming of its SPOT remote sensing satellite constellation. Previously, the programming was handled through CNES, the French space agency, which owns the SPOT satellites. * AL THURAYA SATELLITE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO., of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has increased its capital from US$25 million to US$500 million in a first move to raise the US$800 million necessary to set up the THURAYA regional satellite system for mobile commun- ications. A prime contractor is expected to be selected this summer. * SPACEPORT FLORIDA AUTHORITY (SFA), of Cocoa Beach, California, has officially opened Cape Canaveral's LC-46 launch pad for commercial service. SFA has invested some US$7 million to refurbish this deacti- vated Trident 2 SLBM test pad. The facility will be proposed for launches of Lockheed Martin's LMLV and Orbital Sciences' TAURUS, as well as for converted Minuteman missiles or other launch vehicles. First launch from this commercial pad is planned in late September with NASA's Lunar Prospector moon probe on a LMLV-2 vehicle. === TECHNOLOGIES === * The second ARIANE 5 QUALIFICATION VEHICLE was shipped from Le Havre, France, toward Kourou, French Guiana, onboard the 'MN Toucan' freighter on June 2. On June 10, ESA and CNES officials are expected to decide the beginning of the launch campaign on June 16. The vehicle is planned to loft two dummy payloads, AMSAT's PHASE 3D radio amateur satellite and a small science piggyback satellite on September 16. * EGYPT will provide the 5-kg KHEPER drill for the MARSOKHOD rover to be launched to Mars on a US spacecraft in 2001. This US$3-million equipment will be able to drill holes to a depth of 3 to 4-m to collect water under the Martian surface. ********************************************************************* * The Orbital Report On-Line is a great way to get your message out * * to space executives all over the world. For more info, visit our * * web page at http://www.newspace.com/oreol -or- send e-mail to * * requests@lists.newspace.com with only the words "info oreol" in * * the message body. * ********************************************************************* === PREVIEW === * June 18 Seven IRIDIUM mobile telephony satellites will be launched from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, atop a three-stage PROTON K vehicle provided by GKNPTs KHRUNICHEV, of Moscow, Russia. * June 20 LOCKHEED MARTIN's LMLV-1 small launcher is tentatively planned to return to flight, lofting NASA's 288-kg LEWIS experimental remote sensing satellite provided by TRW, of Redondo Beach, California. * June 22 The PROGRESS M35 automated cargo spacecraft is set for launch atop a SOYUZ U vehicle from Baykonur, Kazakhstan, to service the MIR space station. The Orbital Report On-Line is published 3 to 4 times per month by Takyon International (RCS Paris B 401 465 398) 34, boulevard Exelmans, 75016 Paris, France Phone: +33 (0) 146 566 490 * Fax: +33 (0) 146 561 355 Editorial hotline: +33 (0) 607 995 056 E-mail: orbirep@worldnet.net Chief Editor: Stefan Barensky Technical Contributor: Samuel Szdat © Takyon International - June 1997 Takyon International also publishes The Orbital Launcher Report, a monthly space transportation newsletter. ------------------- End of issue Vol.1, No.5 ----------------------
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